In Red Moon At Dawn, the shadow of empire stretches long over Mauritius. As World War II rages elsewhere, islanders face their own, related battle: a workers’ strike met with lethal colonial force.

Framed through the voices of the spirited Valerie, a teenage activist, and quiet Anarka, a girl whose family labours under the harsh conditions of the sugar estate, and both coming of age under occupation, Red Moon At Dawn reveals the emotional cost of empire and the resilience and resistance born beneath its weight.